Falcons Run Rule Pioneers in Season Opener

WAUKESHA, Wis. – The CUW baseball team opened their 2024 campaign with a convincing 10-0 victory in eight innings over the Pioneers of Carroll University. 

After a scoreless first two innings, the Falcons started the contest's scoring in the top of the third as senior Cole Aguirre (Chino Hills, Calif.) reached first after being hit by a pitch.

In the next at-bat, junior Owen Burns (Morris, Ill.) singled to advance Aguirre to third. 

CUW continued to add base runners as senior Jack Owens (Chicago, Ill.) drew a walk to bring up bases loaded with one out. 

Freshman Ryan Le (Orland Park, Ill.) scratched the first run as he drew a walk to bring up Aguirre from third to give Concordia the 1-0 lead. 

In the next at-bat, junior Kyle Flynn (Nashville, Tenn.) followed Le's lead and drew a walk to bring another CUW run. 

The Falcons continued to draw walks with bases loaded in the inning, this time with two outs as junior Brynden Cleveland (Crestwood, Ill.) drew a walk to bring in Owens from third to extend CUW's early lead to 3-0. 

Sophomore Matt Miller (Fredonia, Wis.) ultimately capped off the inning with a single through the left side, bringing two runners across the plate to give CUW a 5-0 advantage heading into the top of the fourth. 

After holding the Pioneers scoreless in the bottom half of the inning, the Falcons tacked on another run in the top of the fourth as Kyle Flynn doubled to left field to bring in Owen Burns, who got on base via a walk and put CUW up 6-0.

The Blue and White would extend their 8-0 following the top of the sixth inning, Jack Owens batted in Cole, who led off the inning by drawing a walk and got to second on an Owen Burns single. The second run of the inning came courtesy of a balk, advancing Burns to home. 

As CUW's defense continued to keep Carroll scoreless, the Falcons continued to add runs at the top of the seventh. Senior Jimmy Juergensen (Cedarburg, Wis.) led off the inning with a double down the left field line. Juergensen would eventually reach third on a fielder's choice and reach home on a Cole Aguirre single to center.  

After a one-two-three inning in the bottom of the seventh, the top of the eighth inning saw Jack Owens lead off with a triple. Ryan Le then brought Owens home for a sacrifice fly to give Concordia a 10-0 lead. 

With the score remaining 10-0 in CUW's favor, senior Jack Hribernik (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) secured the win by pitching a one-two-three inning in the bottom of the eighth to secure the victory. 

The Falcons used four pitchers in the win as sophomore JT Hockers (Middleton, Wis.) pitched the first three innings, recording one strikeout and zero earned runs on a team-high 13 batters faced. 

Senior Tyler Drezek (West Allis, Wis.) and sophomore Tyler Bartczak (Crestwood, Ill.) both totaled two innings on the mound, as Drezek totaled three strikeouts, while Bartczak recorded two strikeouts and zero walks. 

As a pitching crew, the Blue and White held Carroll scoreless and only allowed five hits. 

CUW turned three double plays in the field, featuring Kyle Flynn, Ryan Le, and senior Sterling Armstrong (Lake Barrington, Ill.). 

Offensively, Ryan Le, Kyle Flynn, and Matt Miller led the game with two RBIs each. 

Meanwhile, Jack Owens, Kyle Flynn, and Owen Burns all had two hits. 

In total, the Falcons outhit the Pioneers 10-5. 

From here, the Falcons will travel to Tucson to compete in the Tucson Invitational Games to start their spring break action on March 3^rd versus Schreiner University at 9:30 a.m. MST.